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John's Journal... Entry35 - Day 2

click to enlargeAn Eager Tom

EDITOR'S NOTE: When John Phillips hunted hogs in Florida at Wingshooters near LaBelle in early March with Craig Dougherty, the vice president of North American Archery Group in Gainesville, Florida, he also found a place full of eager tom turkeys.

Dougherty and I realized the hot bird he'd called to would have to walk through hip-high palmettos, cross an 8-foot-wide ditch with water in it and then come under or over a five-strand-barbed-wire fence to reach our setup in the only two green bushes in the field. I personally considered the gobbler's answering the call by coming to us through all the obstacles highly doubtful. But I also realized that the longer I hunted, the more often I'd been surprised by wily turkeys.

click to enlargeAs I sat in the bush with my camouflage raincoat pulled over my hands and my camo T-shirt pulled up over the back of my head and nose, since I hadn't brought a headnet or gloves with me, I saw an unbelievable sight. The gobbler popped up on our side of the ditch, went under the barbed-wire fence and ran to where Dougherty and I hid in the bushes.

Three different times the bird stopped and half-strutted before running again straight at Dougherty. With the turkey less than 40 yards away, Dougherty rolled the tom with his 3 1/2-inch magnum. Like an Olympic sprinter, I jumped to my feet and ran to the gobbler as quickly as a middle-aged, 20-pound overweight fellow could move.

click to enlargeWhat a great morning Dougherty and I had had. We'd witnessed a gobbler crossing barriers he shouldn't have to come within range, half strutting three times while moving to us, showing off the beauty of his many-colored feathers and gobbling intensely.

That night we feasted on wild turkey breast dipped in mustard sauce. Although I never pulled the trigger, I became as much a part of the hunt as Dougherty, who bagged the bird. Dougherty and I shared a memory that would last a lifetime.

To put more fun into your turkey hunting this season, take a buddy with you or go with one to share a memory of hunting elusive wild turkeys.

click to enlargeTo learn more about turkey hunting, go to Night Hawk's Home Page, and click on hunting books. For more information about North American Archery Group, which includes Golden Eagle, Bear, Jennings and Buckmasters bows and Satellite archery accessories group, call or write (352) 376-2327, 4600 Southwest 41st Boulevard, Gainesville, FL 32608-4999. For more information on hog hunting, contact Don Teston at Wingshooters (941) 693-2549, P.O. Box 980, LaBelle, FL 33975. You can have the opportunity to take a Florida Osceola tom during turkey season next spring, 2001, before the season opens anywhere else in the country by visiting one of Florida's fine private hunting lodges. Or, you can take part in a Florida Special-Opportunity Hunt on specific WMAs for a price. Most of these WMAs allow camping.

You can go to the website www.state.fl.us/fwc or call one of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) offices at (850) 265-3676; (352) 732-1225; (941) 648-3203; and (561) 625-5122 for more information. The fee to hunt Osceola turkeys ranges from $50 - $175 per hunter for four to seven days. Turkey hunters who hunted for five days last year had a 61% success rate. You must apply by February 4, 2001, to hunt turkeys next spring.

Here's a sampling of where you can hunt on Florida's Special-Opportunity Hunts:

* 20,858-acre Fort Drum WMA holds three three hunts for seven days each with a cost of only $50 per hunter.

* 34,335-acre Green Swamp WMA's West Unit is divided into three units with 18 hunters per unit for five, four-day hunts in each unit at a cost of $100 per hunter.

* 5,507-acre Homosassa WMA holds two hunts for seven days each that cost $175 per hunter.

* 13,232-acre Lake George WMA Dexter/Mary Farms Unit is divided into three units with four hunters per unit and three hunts per unit for a cost of $175 per hunter for seven days.

* 8,676-acre Lake Panasoffkee WMA holds three hunts of four days each that cost each hunter $100.

* 7,317-acre Triple N Ranch WMA holds three hunts for seven days each for a cost of $175 per hunter.

TOMORROW: START PREPARING NOW FOR BOW SEASON

 
 

Check back each day this week for more about FLORIDA -- A PLACE WITH IT ALL ...

Day 1 -Taking Turkeys In Florida
Day 2 -An Eager Tom
Day 3 -Start Preparing Now For Bow Season
Day 4 -Hunting Hogs With A Crossbow
Day 5 -Other Places To Hunt Hogs In Florida

 

John's Journal